A 4.87 hectare potato field at St. Leonard d'Aston, Quebec was instrumented to measure surface runoff and tile drain flow over the 2 year growing season period, 1989-1990. The soil type was a Ste. Jude sandy loam. Several soil and water parameters and NPK concentrations in runoff were measured. The CREAMS (Chemicals, Runoff and Erosion from Agricultural Management Systems) computer simulation model was validated for the study site. / Observed N concentrations in tile drain flow exceeded the Canadian water quality guideline of 10 mg/L. Observed P concentrations were less than 0.01 mg/L; and K concentrations, for the most part, exceeded 10 mg/L. / CREAMS overpredicted event surface runoff depths, and underpredicted event percolation depths. However, total monthly surface runoff and percolation depths closely matched observed values. / CREAMS overpredicted event nitrate concentrations in tile drain flow. There was a poor match between predicted and observed event nitrate concentrations in tile drain flow (coefficient of predictability, CP$ sb{ rm A}$ = 104.95). However, predicted total monthly nitrate load closely matched observed values (CP$ sb{ rm A}$ = 0.84). Total monthly and seasonal nitrate loads in tile drain flow were underpredicted.

HydroGeoSphere (HGS) is a 3D control-volume finite element hydrologic model describing fully-integrated surface-subsurface water flow and solute and thermal energy transport. Because the model solves tightly-coupled highly-nonlinear partial differential equations, often applied at regional and continental scales (for example, to analyze the impact of climate change on water resources), high performance computing (HPC) is essential. The target parallelization includes the composition of the Jacobian matrix for the iterative linearization method and the sparse-matrix solver, preconditioned BiCGSTAB. The Jacobian matrix assembly is parallelized by using a static scheduling scheme with taking account into data racing conditions, which may occur during the matrix construction. The parallelization of the solver is achieved by partitioning the domain into equal-size sub-domains, with an efficient reordering scheme. The computational flow of the BiCGSTAB solver is also modified to reduce the parallelization overhead and to be suitable for parallel architectures. The parallelized model is tested on several benchmark cases that include linear and nonlinear problems involving various domain sizes and degrees of hydrologic complexity. The performance is evaluated in terms of computational robustness and efficiency, using standard scaling performance measures. Simulation profiling results indicate that the efficiency becomes higher for three situations: 1) with an increasing number of nodes/elements in the mesh because the work load per CPU decreases with increasing the number of nodes, which reduces the relative portion of parallel overhead in total computing time., 2) for increasingly nonlinear transient simulations because this makes the coefficient matrix diagonal dominance, and 3) with domains of irregular geometry that increases condition number. These characteristics are promising for the large-scale analysis of water resource problems that involve integrated surface-subsurface flow regimes. Large-scale real-world simulations illustrate the importance of node reordering, which is associated with the process of the domain partitioning. With node reordering, super-scalarable parallel speedup was obtained when compared to a serial simulation performed with natural node ordering. The results indicate that the number of iterations increases as the number of threads increases due to the increased number of elements in the off-diagonal blocks in the coefficient matrix. In terms of the privatization scheme, the parallel efficiency with privatization was higher than that with the shared scheme for most of simulations performed.

Suitable areas for subirrigation and sprinkler irrigation were identified in Richelieu and St-Hyacinthe counties. / Land suitable for subirrigation includes uniform sandy textured profiles deeper than 1 m, with hydraulic conductivities greater than 0.5 m/d and lying on a clay layer at approximately 2 m from the surface, and with slopes less than 0.5% and little or no microrelief. / Soils that failed to satisfy the subirrigation criteria and that would most benefit from sprinkler irrigation were identified. These soils had available water holding capacities of less than 7.5 cm per 100 cm of soil. Most of the soils suitable for sprinkler irrigation were shallow sand (50 cm) over clay. / Both the Richelieu and St-Lawrence Rivers could meet the flow demand for the total irrigated area. However, 57% of the subirrigable land is located at more than 20 km from the Richelieu and St-Lawrence and could be more economically supplied by the Yamaska River. The Yamaska River could supply all the subirrigated land in its vicinity (4 900 ha) and part of the land suited for sprinkler irrigation (1 000 ha) 4 out of 5 years. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Field water table measurements were taken at two sites in Southern Quebec in order to validate DRAINMOD, a field scale water table management model. Two growing seasons of data were collected on a loamy sand soil near Sorel, Quebec and one year of data on a clay soil to the south-west of Montreal. Several water table management schemes were investigated, ranging from conventional subsurface drainage to automated subsurface irrigation. / DRAINMOD was used to simulate the measured water table fluctuations and relative corn crop yields over the growing season. Verification of the model was needed to determine if it could be a useful tool in the design and operation of water table management systems for the Quebec region. / It was found that DRAINMOD output closely simulated the water table fluctuations for conventional drainage and subsurface irrigation plots provided no exceptional circumstances existed. More study is needed in some areas such as bedded fields and in the use of fluctuating water level control structures.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--Victoria University of Wellington, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

A grande quantidade de resíduos sólidos gerados nas cidades é um desafio para o saneamento ambiental no Brasil. A fim de se reduzir os impactos gerados ao meio ambiente e à saúde pública, é necessário que haja um gerenciamento adequado, desde a coleta até a disposição final, desses resíduos sólidos urbanos. Os aterros sanitários permitem um maior controle ambiental, desde que sejam bem projetados e operados. A decomposição da matéria orgânica presente nesses resíduos, somada às águas das chuvas gera o lixiviado, líquido com alto potencial poluidor. Várias formas de tratamento são propostas com a finalidade de tornar o lixiviado menos poluente ao meio ambiente. Wetlands construídos tem se mostrado uma alternativa eficiente para a remoção de poluentes em lixiviados, além dos baixos custos operacionais e de implantação. O presente estudo investigou o uso de wetlands subsuperficiais em escala-piloto para o tratamento de um lixiviado prétratado. Os wetlands foram monitorados com a finalidade de se obter remoções de matéria orgânica e nitrogênio amoniacal. As maiores reduções percentuais de concentração de nitrogênio amoniacal, DQO e COD foram, 91%, 42% e 35%, respectivamente. As maiores reduções percentuais em carga de nitrogênio amoniacal e DQO foram, 67% e 50%, respectivamente. Os resultados dos ensaios de toxicidade realizados com os organismos Vibrio fischeri e Danio rerio revelaram que, a toxicidade do lixiviado foi reduzida ao ser tratado pelo wetland. / Large amounts of solid wastes are generated in cities and this is a challenge for environmental sanitation in Brazil. In order to reduce impacts to the environment and to public health, it is necessary to manage these municipal solid wastes appropriately, from their collection to their final disposal. Landfills allow a greater environmental control, provided that they are well designed and operated. Landfill leachate generation results from the decomposition of the organic matter in the wastes, combined with the rainwater that percolates the waste. Landfill leachate has a high pollution potential. Various forms of treatment are proposed in order to attenuate the potential of the leachate to pollute the environment. Constructed wetlands seem to be efficient alternatives in removing leachate pollutants with low operational and implementation costs. The present study investigated the use of subsurface wetlands in pilot scale in a pretreated leachate treatment. The wetlands were monitored in order to obtain results in reducing the concentration and loads of pollutants. The best removal performance of the concentration of ammonia nitrogen, COD and DOC were 91%, 42% and 35%, respectively. The best removal performance of the load of ammonia nitrogen and DOC were 67% and 50%, respectively. The results of the toxicity tests conducted with Vibrio fischeri and Danio rerio revealed that wetlands were effective in reducing the toxicity of the leachate.

This study utilises seismic data to improve understanding of the subsurface fluid flow behaviour in the Taranaki and Great South Basins offshore New Zealand. The aim of this study is to characterise fluid flow features and to investigate their genesis, fluid origins and implications for subsurface fluid plumbing system by integrating seismic interpretation and 3D petroleum systems modelling techniques. After an early phase studying Pliocene pockmarks in the Taranaki Basin, this study has been focused on the subsurface fluid plumbing system and on the fluid expulsion history in the Great South Basin. The Taranaki Basin lies on the west coast and offshore of the North Island, New Zealand. The seismic interpretation revealed that paleo-pockmark formation in the study area relates to fluid escape due to a rapid sediment loading environment in a distal fan setting. Seismic analysis rules out any links between the paleo-pockmarks and faulting. The relationship between paleo-pockmark occurrence and fan depositional thickness variations suggests that pore-water expulsion during overburden progradation is the most likely cause of the paleo-pockmarks. The rapid sediment loading generated overpressure which was greatest on the proximal fan due to a lateral gradient in overburden pressure. Fluids were consequently forced towards the fan distal parts where, eventually, the pore pressure exceeded the fracture gradient of the seal. The Great South Basin lies off the southern coast of the South Island of New Zealand and is located beneath the modern shelf area. Evidence for past and present subsurface fluid flow in this basin is manifested by the presence of numerous paleo-pockmarks, seabed pockmarks, polygonal fault systems, bright spots and bottom simulating reflections (BSR), all of which help constrain aspects of the overburden plumbing system and may provide clues to deeper hydrocarbon prospectivity in this frontier region. The various types of fluid flow features observed in this study are interpreted to be caused by different fluid origins and mechanisms based on evidences from seismic interpretation in the study area. The possible fluid origins which contribute to fluid flow features in the Great South Basin are compactional pore water as well as biogenic and thermogenic hydrocarbons. Using 3D seismic attribute analysis it was possible to highlight the occurrence of these features, particularly polygonal faults and pockmarks, which tend to be hosted within fine-grained sequences. Paleo- and present-day fluid flow features were investigated using 3D basin and petroleum systems modelling with varying heat flow scenarios. The models predict that thermogenic gas is currently being generated in mid-Cretaceous sedimentary sequences and possibly migrates along tectonic faults and polygonal faults feeding present-day pockmarks at the seabed. The models suggest that biogenic gas was the main fluid source for the Middle Eocene paleo-pockmarks and compactional pore fluid may be the main fluid contributor to the Late Eocene paleo-pockmarks. Different heat flow scenarios show that only mid-Cretaceous source rocks have reached thermal maturity in the basin, whilst Late Cretaceous and Paleocene source rocks would be largely immature. The observations and interpretations provided here contribute to the ongoing discussion on basin de-watering and de-gassing and the fluid contributors involved in pockmark formation and the use of pockmarks as a potential indicator of hydrocarbon expulsion. It is clear from this study that seismically-defined fluid flow features should be integrated into petroleum systems modelling of frontier and mature exploration areas in order to improve our understanding on fluid phases, their migration routes, timings and eventual expulsion history.

A grande quantidade de resíduos sólidos gerados nas cidades é um desafio para o saneamento ambiental no Brasil. A fim de se reduzir os impactos gerados ao meio ambiente e à saúde pública, é necessário que haja um gerenciamento adequado, desde a coleta até a disposição final, desses resíduos sólidos urbanos. Os aterros sanitários permitem um maior controle ambiental, desde que sejam bem projetados e operados. A decomposição da matéria orgânica presente nesses resíduos, somada às águas das chuvas gera o lixiviado, líquido com alto potencial poluidor. Várias formas de tratamento são propostas com a finalidade de tornar o lixiviado menos poluente ao meio ambiente. Wetlands construídos tem se mostrado uma alternativa eficiente para a remoção de poluentes em lixiviados, além dos baixos custos operacionais e de implantação. O presente estudo investigou o uso de wetlands subsuperficiais em escala-piloto para o tratamento de um lixiviado prétratado. Os wetlands foram monitorados com a finalidade de se obter remoções de matéria orgânica e nitrogênio amoniacal. As maiores reduções percentuais de concentração de nitrogênio amoniacal, DQO e COD foram, 91%, 42% e 35%, respectivamente. As maiores reduções percentuais em carga de nitrogênio amoniacal e DQO foram, 67% e 50%, respectivamente. Os resultados dos ensaios de toxicidade realizados com os organismos Vibrio fischeri e Danio rerio revelaram que, a toxicidade do lixiviado foi reduzida ao ser tratado pelo wetland. / Large amounts of solid wastes are generated in cities and this is a challenge for environmental sanitation in Brazil. In order to reduce impacts to the environment and to public health, it is necessary to manage these municipal solid wastes appropriately, from their collection to their final disposal. Landfills allow a greater environmental control, provided that they are well designed and operated. Landfill leachate generation results from the decomposition of the organic matter in the wastes, combined with the rainwater that percolates the waste. Landfill leachate has a high pollution potential. Various forms of treatment are proposed in order to attenuate the potential of the leachate to pollute the environment. Constructed wetlands seem to be efficient alternatives in removing leachate pollutants with low operational and implementation costs. The present study investigated the use of subsurface wetlands in pilot scale in a pretreated leachate treatment. The wetlands were monitored in order to obtain results in reducing the concentration and loads of pollutants. The best removal performance of the concentration of ammonia nitrogen, COD and DOC were 91%, 42% and 35%, respectively. The best removal performance of the load of ammonia nitrogen and DOC were 67% and 50%, respectively. The results of the toxicity tests conducted with Vibrio fischeri and Danio rerio revealed that wetlands were effective in reducing the toxicity of the leachate.

Magister Scientiae - MSc (Environ & Water Science) / Studies have shown that the primary origin of salinity in river flows of the Sandspruit in the Berg Catchment located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa was mainly a result of atmospheric deposition of salts. The salts are transported to rivers through surface runoff and subsurface flow (i.e. through flow and groundwater flow). The purpose of this study was to determine the contributions of subsurface and surface flows to the total flows in the Sandspruit, Berg Catchment. Three rain events were studied. Water samples for two rain events were analysed for environmental tracers ?18O, Silica or Silicon dioxide (SiO2), Calcium (Ca2+) and Magnesium (Mg2+). Tracers used for two component hydrograph separation were ?18O and SiO2. The tracers, Ca2+ and Mg2+, revealed inconsistent contributions of both subsurface flow and surface flow. Two component hydrograph separations indicated is that groundwater is the dominant contributor to flow, while surface runoff mainly contributes during the onset of the storm event. Groundwater response to precipitation input indicated that boreholes near the river have a quicker response than boreholes further away from the river. Boreholes nearer to the river also indicate higher water levels in response to precipitation, in comparison to boreholes further from the river.

Magister Scientiae - MSc (Environ & Water Science) / Studies have shown that the primary origin of salinity in river flows of the Sandspruit in the Berg Catchment located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa was mainly a result of atmospheric deposition of salts. The salts are transported to rivers through surface runoff and subsurface flow (i.e. through flow and groundwater flow). The purpose of this study was to determine the contributions of subsurface and surface flows to the total flows in the Sandspruit, Berg Catchment. Three rain events were studied. Water samples for two rain events were analysed for environmental tracers ?18O, Silica or Silicon dioxide (SiO2), Calcium (Ca2+) and Magnesium (Mg2+). Tracers used for two component hydrograph separation were ?18O and SiO2. The tracers, Ca2+ and Mg2+, revealed inconsistent contributions of both subsurface flow and surface flow. Two component hydrograph separations indicated is that groundwater is the dominant contributor to flow, while surface runoff mainly contributes during the onset of the storm event. Groundwater response to precipitation input indicated that boreholes near the river have a quicker response than boreholes further away from the river. Boreholes nearer to the river also indicate higher water levels in response to precipitation, in comparison to boreholes further from the river.